It’s not that often an ordinary guy from Australia gets to be on the ground for what should be a proper moment in world history. With Brexit looming, I couldn’t resist booking a trip from ‘home’ in Sweden to London for some history-in-the-making street photography.
Most images here are in black and white. This one had to be in colour!
Brexit, as you may know, has been a monumental cluster**** since the day the referendum was announced. It was poorly conceived by David Cameron, poorly campaigned for by all concerned, and has been poorly executed by Theresa May and her ever-decreasing circle of friends.
The only bright side of Brexit (for me, not necessarily for Brexiteers) has been John Bercow.
Brexit Day was supposed to be March 29 and with my birthday falling the next day, I booked an airfare and readied my camera bag. In the weeks leading up to my trip, I didn’t know if March 29 would be Brexit Day or not, though it looked increasingly unlikely as time marched on. I was unconcerned, however. Even if Brexit was delayed (which it was, obvs), I knew there’d be something happening on the 29th. The fact that it was an event full of frustration only made it more interesting.
The Remainers had their rally a week before, campaigning for a ‘People’s Vote’ to choose between The Deal (whatever that ends up being) and staying in the EU. It’s reported that there were a million people from all around the UK at that event.
There were people from all over the UK at the March 29 Brexit event, too. I could hear their accents. There wasn’t even close to a million of them, though. If I were to estimate, I’d guess maybe 20,000.
Observations:
The people: Your stereotypical Brexit campaigner is thought to be 40+, white, and at risk of sounding a little uncomplimentary, a little insular and xenophobic. There were plenty of those types there, including what I’ll loosely term ‘the football hooligans’. There was a UKIP rally as part of proceedings, after all.
That definitely doesn’t sum up those in attendance, though.
There were plenty of business people, labourers, retirees, housewives, and yes, even young people in attendance. It was a real cross-section of British life and while the aforementioned stereotypical demographic (aged, white) was the majority, it was not definitive.
Predominantly normal people….
…until you come to the ladies with pitchforks!
Young Brexiteers.
The mood: It was mixed. There was certainly a lot of frustration with the parliamentary process. There were lots of chants and some occasional tense moments, especially when the police showed up (which they were quite right in doing).
A member of the constabulary – cool under pressure
I was there with camera in hand, as were many others. All of the people I interacted with were happy to chat and many were happy to have their photo taken. The single exception was a skinhead who blocked my camera with his jacket and demanded to know who I was working for – a question I heard asked of others through the day as well.
This was a minute or two before the protest spilled out from Parliament Lawn and on to the street, blocking traffic for the rest of the day.
This was a few minutes after the traffic was blocked. The gent with the flag deliberately stood in front of the motorcyclist and wouldn’t let him through. You’ll have to wait like everybody else. Police came and sorted it after a few minutes.
The gent on the right had a megaphone and was railing against more than Brexit – the whole concept of government, really. More an anarchist than a Brexiteer. The guy on the left wanted him to shut up.
UKIP held an event during the afternoon, the main drawcard the double-barrel surnamed Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, better known by his nom-de-, Tommy Robinson.
Robinson’s address was a rather high-pitched diatribe on how the press couldn’t be trusted, primarily because it misquoted him. He played a videotape of him saying one thing and then showed the headlines demonstrating the two words that had been changed (cue sinister music).
Most aspiring politicians with an actual policy platform to share would shrug that sort of thing off and stick to their knitting. Robinson went on and on and on, playing the Fake News card like a cheap violin but without the entertaining finesse of the bullshitter-in-chief, Donald Trump. He didn’t really have anything of substance to say. Still, like Trump, this particular crowd love their figurehead.
One of the more extreme Ukippers
Relaxing while waiting for Tommy Robinson
One of a few Q-Anon signs seen
While the UKIP rally was going on in Whitehall, there was a second rally being held on the Parliament Lawn, around 200 meters away. This was Nigel Farage’s ‘March to Leave’ gig, celebrating a group that had walked two weeks from Sunderland to Westminster (270 miles – not bad).
The obligatory Guy Fawkes mask at the March to Leave rally.
The UKIP rally had the stereotypical UKIP crowd – I’m sure my camera-blocking skinhead friend was there.
The March to Leave rally enjoyed a much more general attendance. The speakers that I heard provoked the mood of resentment a little too predictably. They were preaching to the choir.
The reasons for leaving that I heard and saw from people during the day were much more heartfelt and honest. They were concerned with national identity and a genuine dislike of the notion – whether right or wrong – of being controlled by the EU.
The young lady being spoken to here at the March to Leave rally had a ‘Bollocks to Brexit’ sticker on her leather jacket. She was reported to the constabulary by one of the attendees. She removed the sticker before attendees became so cross that they had to write a letter of complaint.
My conclusion: It was an interesting day.
Most people reading this can probably guess my position. I’m not a Brit but if I were, I’d have voted to remain.
I’ve been following Brexit quite closely and I’ve even come up with my own understanding as to why sane, regular people want to leave. I can imagine if there was an Asian Union, 95% of Australians would vote to stay out of it. It’s not the same situation, by any means, but it’s demonstrative.
Bottom line: I can understand and sympathise with Leavers, even though I disagree with their position. The Ukippers can go fish.
Reports suggest there are around 800 ‘Frexiters’ at the event. I think that’s overstated, but they were there.
I’m thankful that the Brits can have a protest about such a passion-stirring issue and keep it civil. It started early and went well into the night and there were only 5 arrests all day. As mentioned, almost everyone I encountered showed goodwill, albeit mixed with anger at the current situation and determination to see things go their way.
More photos below.
Photo nerd notes: All images taken with either the Leica M8 with 50mm Summicron, or an M10 with 35mm Summicron. All processing in Lightroom.
More megaphones. This one was outside Downing Street.
The others I can understand, but Bercow is sooooo likeable! 😛
No deal, no problem.
Not your average raving loony. Very normal people at this event.
Make Britain Great Again. Yes, there were hats, and US flags.
Supporting the fishing industry – a big issue for some Brexiteers.
Aged and white, but a lovely person – of that I’m sure.
A press interview underway, I’m guessing.
More from the ‘regular people’ archive
And again….
There were a LOT of people saying they wanted ‘No Deal’. I do not mean to cast aspersions but it would be good to sit down with a few of them and get a description of what no deal really looks like in their eyes.
The Geneva Motor Show is done and dusted for 2016. It was my second Geneva show, having first attended there as a ‘civilian’ in 2011, just before going to work for Saab Automobile. This time I was there as an employee of Koenigsegg Automotive AB. How times change.
Opinions here are my own, of course.
It was busy, as you might expect. I barely had any time to post things online as I was so busy talking to people from the press. It’s great to meet the press and it’s productive in the sense of relationships and setting future appointments for them to come and report on our company. But it also drains your productivity in terms of actually producing content.
And having a look around at everything else? Forget it. The photos you’re about to see of things-that-are-not-Koenigseggs were all taken in one 20 minute sprint around the show before I had to walk to the airport (next door) to fly back to Sweden.
First, the Koenigsegg stand.
It reminded me a lot of the Saab stands of old, to be honest. Very Scandi. Very white, with Koenigsegg highlights in copper. Uncluttered. Tasteful. All credit for this goes to Lisa, our Art Director, who worked her butt off to get the right look. It paid off in spades. The simplicity of the stand allowed our cars to shine. And boy, did they shine!
The Regera on show was our production spec car, painted in Candy Apple Red with a brave leather and cloth interior. It was arguably the star of the whole Geneva show in terms of the substance of reports. The Chiron took the award for the sheer volume of reports, which was to be expected, but we didn’t lose any respect at all with the tone of the reportage about the Regera.
Car #2 was a car called the “One of 1”. It’s the first of a series of three vehicles to be built that will make up the last of the Agera series of cars. These cars will have no options list. Everything is available. They will also have completely unique and bespoke aerodynamic treatments. The aero you see on this car will only be used for this car. The next car in the ‘Final’ series will have different aero, which will be determined by the customer in conjunction with our engineers.
The paint on this car doesn’t shine as it should under show lights. Get this car in the daylight on a sunny day and the yellow undertones shine through and it looks like a fireball. It might just be my favourite Koenigsegg so far.
The interior is also a first, being our first polished aluminium finish.
Our third and final car was an Agera RS in bright yellow with red accents. The owner of the car saw it complete for the first time at the show and he was over the moon. He was taking photos of it on the stand for two full days. It was very rewarding to see the joy on his face and he’s a super-nice guy, to boot. He’s a multiple supercar owner so seeing his excitement over his Agera RS was very gratifying for us.
The interior of the Agera ML – named using the owner’s initials – features yellow piping on the seats and black buttons on the control centre. Christian even autographed the carbon dashboard with a gold pen.
Our three cars. Strong, clean and super fast.
Porsche
This is the Porsche stand. Note that of the 12 cars Porsche had on display, 5 were SUVs or sedans. Nothing stays the same.
This is the car that had EVERYONE talking: the Porsche 911 R.
Why? Well……
It’s got a traditional 911 rear-engined layout with a 500hp flat six from the GT3 RS. It’s 110lbs lighter than the GT3 RS thanks to some carbon fibre panels and a magnesium roof. Those things are nice, but the big difference is in the number of pedals on the floor. Super hi-po Porsches haven’t come with a manual gearbox for years. They’ve all got the super-quick PDK automatic transmission. The 911 R changes all that.
A high spec Porsche with a stick shift? No wonder all 991 units are already spoken for.
Below is my personal favourite from the Porsche stand – the Cayman GT4. What a car! I’ll take mine in dark blue, thanks.
A question to ponder – is Porsche in a state of denial over the Cayman? The 911 is the daddy because of 50 years of history but the Cayman lends itself to much better handling by default because of its mid-engined layout.
Put it this way – if Porsche went all-out on a Cayman, would it be a better car to drive than an all-out 911? I suspect so. And if that’s the case, Porsche is in denial.
Porsche’s only splash of colour on the stand came courtesy of the newly-renamed 718 Boxster, above. The new mid-engined Porsche ragtops are notable for being the first Porsches since the 914 to use a flat-4 engine and the first Porsches ever to use a turbocharged flat-4 engine.
Who’d have thought this turbocharging thing would ever take off?
Bugatti
As mentioned above, the new Bugatti Chiron was always going to be the big news of this year’s Geneva show. And it was. 500 will be made and I think I’ve read some pundits saying that they’re all sold, which is ….. interesting.
The styling down the side of the car is very nice. I’m not so sure about the rear and the front doesn’t really feel like anything new. I got into the Bugatti stand and managed to snap off these two photos, but that’s all.
The interior looked a little simple to me. I didn’t get into the car but I’m told by people who did that the interior execution is amazing. Yes, I was told this by people I work with (names withheld) but let’s just say we’re all in a position to care about the fact that we lift an already good level of execution to meet even higher standards.
By all reports, the Bugattis are amazing cars to drive. They’re obviously a great feat of engineering. Well done.
Spyker
How good was it to see Spyker back with a new car this year???
This is the C8 Preliator. It features the same Audi V8 from previous Spykers but this time it’s supercharged.
The interior will be familiar to all Spyker fans with quilted leather, polished aluminium and the famous exposed gear linkage.
Victor plans to build 50 of these new models and he took more than 20 orders during the Geneva show. The car is on its way to the New York Auto Show now, where he hopes to sell the rest. I hope he succeeds.
The world doesn’t need another generic car company but it could do with a few more Spykers.
Victor actually spent an hour or so at the Koenigsegg stand and it was a real pleasure to catch up with him. He’s as supercharged as ever, just like the Preliator, and super-happy to be back making cars again.
Lamborghini
Lambo released the ‘Centenario’ – a limited edition to mark Ferrucio Lamborghini’s 100th birthday. It’s got the usual madness-on-steroids design that we all love Lambo for and much was made of the exposed carbon fibre body, mostly because it’s Lamborghini’s first time doing this. Well done, Lamborghini.
Well, almost.
I’ve googled around and nobody’s commented on the rather obvious flaw in the carbon. Can you see it? It’s just visible in one of these photos. The press corps mostly uses the photos that companies send them and I doubt the flaw is visible in those, but it’s visible on the real car. Just. If you enlarge the pic and look in just the right spot……
Pagani
Pagani were directly opposite the Koenigsegg stand (along with Bugatti). Hypercar Row, we should call it.
Pagani’s big story was the Hyuara BC, a lightened edition created in memory of Horacio Pagani’s good friend and first ever customer, Benny Caiola.
Touring Superleggera
Italian coachbuilder Superleggera stunned everyone with the Disco Volante coupe a few years ago. This year it was the Spyder’s turn.
Magnifico!
It’s Superleggera’s 90th anniversary this year and the Spyder was created to celebrate the milestone. It was designed in consultation with Alfa Romeo and is built from hand-formed aluminium on an Alfa Romeo 8C rolling chassis.
Seven of them will be made. Oh, to be one of those seven lucky people.
Honda NSX
After a decade or so wandering in a wilderness populated by sensible cars, Honda is trying to rediscover its mojo as a Japanese performance cult-car company.
The original NSX was a jaw dropper because it was sooooo different to anything the company had made before it. And it was so good. And Ayrton Senna.
Have they managed the same trick with the new NSX? I think the jury’s still out. It looks good, for sure, but it doesn’t look as radically different as the original car. It’ll all come down to what’s underneath, I guess.
Mazda
So much has been made of the new MX-5 that I had to stop and take a quick look.
A quick look was all I managed, though, because when I got to the Mazda stand I was instantly smitten with Mazda’s RX Vision concept car.
The car made its global debut last year at the Tokyo Motor Show but I’m well pleased they decided to bring it to Geneva. It is pure automotive pornography (OK, aside from that distracting rear ‘spoiler’ and the faux carbon wheels)
The spin says that Mazda are still looking at developing a rotary engine that can work in an emissions- and economy-conscious time and that the RX Vision is a car that’s intended to highlight both Mazda’s interest in a rotary of the future, as well as being a design statement for Mazda’s future looks. I think it has more to do with the latter than the former, but that’s just me.
Spin it however you like, Mazda. What you’ve built is truly beautiful. I wouldn’t change a thing.
OK, I’d remove that rear spoiler. But other than that, I wouldn’t change a thing.
Aston Martin
Martini drinking Bond wannabes would have been gushing at the Aston Martin stand this year as the company released the new DB11.
Martin. Aston Martin.
As an aside, one of the DB10s used in the latest Bond film, Spectre – and the only DB10 actually running – was sold at auction in London while the Geneva Motor Show was happening.
Rimac
It was interesting to see Rimac at Geneva. Their Concept One sports car looks absolutely fantastic.
Rimac are one of Koenigsegg’s partners in the development of the Regera’s powertrain so they know their electric stuff.
Maserati
Good manners dictate that if you can’t say anything nice about someone (or something) then you shouldn’t say anything at all.
Witness my stone cold silence, then, as I show you these images of the latest sellout to SUV conventionalism, the Maserati Levante.
Ferrari
They’re now calling this the GTC4 Lusso.
FFS Ferrari, FF is easier to remember.
The Ferrari stand, for those who are interested.
Fiat
The Fiat stand was a bit more interesting than the Fezza stand, to be honest. The reason? The new Fiat 124 Spider!
If you think it looks familiar, that’s probably because of its Mazda MX-5 roots. This is the car that the Italians designed along with Mazda. It was originally going to be a new Alfa Romeo Spider but the powers-that-be decided Alfa had to go more upmarket, so it became a Fiat Spider instead.
And it works. It’s quite cute and it received a lot of attention. Its proportions are obviously the same as the MX-5 but it looks distinctly Fiat. If it drives like the MX-5 then they’re on to a winner.
And speak of the devil…..
Alfa Romeo
Readers of this site know that Alfa Romeo is one of my favourite car companies. I’ve owned a bunch of them and I’m very interested in the company’s future. That future rests on a knife-edge at the moment as Sergio tries to take Alfa into the performance market alongside Maserati, Porsche, etc.
It’s a big gamble. The first shot was the luscious but slightly hamstrung 8C. Then came the equally luscious but better-received Alfa 4C (shown prominently this year at Geneva).
This year, it was the turn of the new Giulia. There have been rumours (vehemently denied by Alfa) that the Giulia was facing production delays due to safety concerns. Let’s hope they’re all untrue because Alfa needs a hit like Donald Trump needs an audience of braindead rednecks. They die without it.
The Giulia is more handsome than beautiful. It won’t make your face melt like Alfas past, but that’s not the point with this car. This Alfa needs performance credentials and the early mail says it’s well sorted. Let’s hope so.
The 4C was also prominent. I like the exposed carbon roof on this white model. Tasty.
I’ve GOT to get some seat time in one of these. It’s one of the only modern cars on my realistic bucket list.
RUF
A Porsche 911 used to be on my realistic bucket list, but then The Great Porsche 911 Inflation happened (2013-ongoing). The RUF stand is a good example of all those cars we mere mortals might have been able to afford a few years ago, but are now removed from arm’s reach.
So pretty.
And finally……
Sow’s Ear, Silk Purse
A Panamera that actually looks good.
And it’s purple!! Mmmmmmmm. There aren’t enough purple cars in the world.
I’ve written here before about an Australian site called Any Given Reason. It’s written by a guy in Adelaide, South Australia, named Andrew Coles.
If you’re not following Any Given Reason yet, I hope his post on the Goodwood Revival will convince you to do so.
The 2013 Revival was held back in September and Andrew attended the event as part of a holiday that took him everywhere a motoring enthusiast could ever want to go. It’s taken him 3 months to write the Revival post on his website and when you read it, I think you’ll understand why. This is detailed work. You can almost smell the oil and rubber as you read.
Andrew is not only an extremely knowledgable and capable writer, he’s a great photographer, too. I’d wager he took well over 1000 photos at Goodwood. Taking in every detail of such a comprehensive event and filtering such a huge collection of photos takes time – and that’s if you do it poorly. To do it this well is a genuine achievement.
It’s not easy to transport readers halfway around the world and accurately convey not just an event, but an atmosphere. Trust me, I’ve tried. But Andrew has done it and done it beautifully.
An excerpt:
But what is so wrong with our hobby these days is that the cars we love are rapidly becoming investment grade commodities. In a world of financial turmoil, classic cars are increasingly seen as bluechip investments; superannuation portfolios and bankers are buying them up and stashing them away.
What makes the Revival so special is that it is a giant two-fingered salute to that whole world. This event is for the people who like to use their classics, and use them hard. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Nick Mason, an Anthony Bamford or just some bloke who turns up in the MGB he’s scrimped and saved for.
And that’s just the conclusion.
You won’t believe some of the racing that goes on at the Goodwood Revival, or the trouble that organisers, exhibitors and attendees go to to ensure that the scene is appropriately set for the period.
Andrew Coles has put the Goodwood Revival on my bucket list. Read his review of the event and he might just put it on yours, too.
The siesta scheduled in the middle of the Saab Dealer Tour of Spain is now over and done. Today the tour continues in Palma De Mallorca, with the new Saab 9-5 SportCombi and 9-4x on display at Palma de Mallorca, at Iceasa Motor.
The tour will conclude Friday and Saturday, the 16th and 17th, with viewings available both days at the Tuvisa dealership in Madrid.
If you’re near Madrid and haven’t seen the new Saabs yet, give Tuvisa a call and book you place.
Here’s how it feels to enter a competition and WIN a brand new Saab
The Snap Up a Saab competition, run by Saab of North Olmsted, was won recently by a guy named Tim Greer. Tim, his wife Jennifer and their two kids are now the proud owners of a new Saab 9-5 Aero, their chosen prize from the Saab range.
Tim was a contestant in week 1 of the four-week competition, driving a Saab 9-4x during that time. Saab of North Olmsted is part of the Collection Auto Group and Tim heard about the competition because he’s on their email list, having been a customer for some years now. I spoke with Tim and Jennifer last week about their experience.
“I couldn’t believe that they were letting people test drive cars for a week, and then win one. I signed up, probably within three minutes of getting the email.” said Tim.
Whilst this was Tim and Jennifer’s first experience with Saab of North Olmsted, it’s not their first Saab.
“When we got married, a Saab was actually the first vehicle that we purchased together. We got a white 9-3 Convertible with a blue top…..” said Tim.
“….which I loved!” said Jennifer. “Unfortunately our family grew and it wasn’t practical anymore, just because it was a convertible. I’d love to eventually get one of those for our daughter, for her first car.”
As mentioned earlier, Tim drove the Saab 9-4x during his week in the competition, which he was quite impressed with. Tim’s brother had a Saab 9-7x, Saab’s earlier model SUV, and Tim compared the 9-4x very favourably to its older brother.
“The handling, the way it sat on the road….. I’d much prefer the 9-4x to the 9-7x.” he said. “It’s the best of both worlds.”
Despite this, they chose a 9-5 Aero for their prize. Jet black metallic with a shark grey interior. The model choice was largely Jennifer’s to make, as she would be driving the car the most.
“I just love the idea of having a car that handled well, is luxurious inside, but also has four-wheel-drive. We live in Cleveland and we get loads and loads of snow. To be able to have that utility is great.”
Tim and Jennifer have two kids, aged 3 and 4. Jennifer: “They have been talking about ‘The Saab’ ever since we entered the competition. To them, it was a given that we’d bring it home. I don’t think they had any thought in their mind that we wouldn’t win. They were really excited because it had TV’s in the back and when we won it, the first thing they did was take off their shoes and jump in the back. They were treating it like a formal dining room.”
This was, of course, a promotional competition and Tim and Jennifer promoted the company a LOT during their time driving the Saab 9-4x. Many other contestants did, too, providing a lot of publicity for both Saab and for the North Olmsted dealership.
They worked quite hard during that week in the competition, emailing and calling friends and getting people engaged in the competition, to see the car and to vote for their efforts. Whilst the competition built momentum towards the end of the four weeks, it had a slower beginning, something that Jennifer thinks would change if they ran it again.
“When it started, I don’t think people realised so much what was involved. Once it got going, people got a better idea of what was happening. I think they ran another one now, they’d have a lineup with people trying to enter.” said Jennifer.
The final saw 5 contestants gather at Saab of North Olmsted. Each was given a key that was randomly selected. Only one key would open the doors of a Saab in the showroom, indicating the winner.
“We didn’t talk a whole lot. I think everyone was pretty nervous. I don’t know if I was more nervous because I was going to be on live TV, or because I had a chance to win a car.” said Tim. “There were a few sweaty palms there.”
In TV terms, it might have been a bit of an anti-climax that Tim was the first to try his key – no added tension from a couple of unsuccessful attempts before the winner is revealed. For Tim, it was happiness, then confusion, then a whole LOT of happiness.
“When we picked our keys, the dealer told us that when someone wins, we should be prepared because it was going to be loud. They set up the scene so that I could see the car as I hit my button. I saw the lights go on and I heard the locks pop, but no-one said anything. Because it was quiet for that first few seconds, I thought something had gone wrong, that it had gone off accidentally. Then we heard a few alarm beeps and that’s when everyone started cheering.”
Here’s the live recorded video of the win. Skip ahead to 8m30s to see the action.
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I have to feel a little sorry (and a little bit amused) for the other four contestants being ushered away so quickly. Tim going first really did take some of the air out of the room.
But what an exciting moment!! And what a conclusion and reward for a week or so’s hard (but fun) work, driving and promoting the new Saab 9-4x.
Tim and Jennifer picked up their new Saab 9-5 Aero last Friday. On behalf of Saab Automobile, and I’m sure I speak for Saab of North Olmsted as well, I’d like to congratulate them on their win and wish them many happy years with their new Saab 9-5.
I’d also like to thank all of the participants in the Snap Up a Saab competition, who I hope had a wonderful time participating.
There’s a great collection of images from this event at Saab Actu
As mentioned in today’s Saabosphere entry, Saab fans gathered in Paris to put on a show of support for the brand.
Around 100 fans in 60 vehicles braved the chilly 4 degree temperatures in order to share some Glögg* and some good natured Saab fellowship at Place des Invalides. Of course, most attendees were from France, but there were also some cars registered from the Netherlands and even from Poland at the event.
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As a Saab person, it’s heartening to see this kind of support shown for the company at such a critical time in its history.
Amongst everything else that’s going on, it’s great to see that the Spanish Saab dealer tour has continued through the week with visits to Zaragoza and Burgos.
We have some new photos and stories from the engagements, below.
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Zaragoza
Below are some pictures from Artal en Zaragoza.
We had the local television station (Aragon TV) taking images, as well as the most important newspaper in the Aragon region (El diario de Aragón) were also there. Both of them are going to prepare reports.
This dealer has Lexus and Porsche showrooms and customers from these brands were invited. One customer who was going to renew his lease with Porsche, upon seeing the 9-4x came to ask about it and now he is thinking of changing his mind. Let’s see what happens!
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Burgos
Again, the local TV station was there, plus a lot of other local media. We get a lot of press coverage (without paying, which is always good!). Manuel Alcázar (our country director) gave an interview to “Burgos Televisión” and he talked about the products and a little bit about the company situation.
The manager of this dealer (Julián Alonso) is the president of the “Burgos Entrepreneur Association” so we had all the directors form local companies at the burgos event. It was very well received.
I want to send along my best wishes to the five finalists in the Snap Up a Saab competition being run by Saab of North Olmsted. One of those finalists is going to win a brand new Saab of their choice in just a few hours from now.
As I’m writing this, it’s nearly 5.30pm in Ohio. At 7pm, the five finalists, their friends and family and other guests will gather at Saab of North Olmsted and someone’s going to win a car.
Each finalist will be given a key, and one of those keys will pop the locks on a display car in the showroom. The person holding that key will win the Saab of their choice up to a value of $50,000.
The five finalists are:
Brian Perez – who drove a 2011 Saab 9-5 during in the competition
Mike Tetreault – who drove a 2011 Saab 9-3 during the competition
Matthew Stipe – who drove a 2011 Saab 9-3 during the competition
Steve McAlonis – who drove a 2011 Saab 9-3 during the competition
Timothy Greer – who drove a 2011 Saab 9-4x during the competition
Who will win? And will they choose the same model Saab as the one they drove during their week in the competition?
We’ll have all the details as soon as they’re available.
Good luck to all the finalists and thanks to all the competitors during the whole Snap Up a Saab campaign.
The first two stops on the Saab Dealer Tour of Spain were in Gerona and Barcelona.
We’ve got a gallery of images from those stops below. Click.
Spirits are high amongst the attendees and Irene from Saab España even passed along a little story from the Barcelona stop:
I was talking to some customers (a family) in Barcelona and they told me that they don’t have a car at all right now. They ordered a new Saab 9-5 three months ago, and are still waiting. Their old car (an old 9-3) “died”, so they were looking for an alternative but weren’t able to find one that was suitable. So they have decided to use public transport and wait for the new 9-5 to come. Their words were “it is a sacrifice we do now, and we are sure that it will be worth it in the future”
Isn’t that awesome?
We have the best owners and fans in the world.
These tours are getting a lot of attention, especially in Barcelona. From that one tour stop alone, they had 5 orders for the new Saabs on display. The media also took a big interest in the tour: 7 radio interviews, BTV Television, the #1 newspaper in Catalonia (La Vanguardia), the most important motoring magazine in Catalonia (Cotxes), the #1 motoring website in Spain (coches.com), the top 10 renting & leasing companies in Barcelona – all took a look at the vehicles during the Barcelona tour stop.
For those who didn’t see it via Facebook, the Saab Dealer Tour of Spain is well and truly underway. We’ll have some more images and thoughts from those attending as the tour unfolds.
Click the link above for dates and locations. Click the image below to enlarge.
